Lessons Learned From The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell

Have you ever heard the saying “the hunter that becomes/became the hunted”? The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is about Rainsford, a huge hunting fanatic, who is on his way to the Amazon to hunt jaguars and, upon hearing gunshots, falls off his boat. He then proceeds to swim to the island that he heard the shots coming from and finds tracks which he follows hoping to find someone. He comes across a house and meets General Zaroff who knows Rainsford and invites him in as his guest. Zaroff is a big hunter as well and explains to Rainsford that he found a new type of game to hunt, one that has the ability to reason. Rainsford figures out that Zaroff has been using humans as his game. Rainsford then becomes Zaroff’s prey and has to survive the three days without being caught. I found that there are three main lessons to be learned from this book, all actions have consequences, every person has the right to be treated as a human being, and never underestimate anyone. One of the first lessons that can be learned from “The Most Dangerous Game” is that all actions have consequences. Rainsford found this out the hard way. One of the first examples is early in the story when Rainsford fell into the sea, “He leaped upon the rail

Rainsford underestimated Zaroff when he thought Zaroff wouldn’t be able to follow his trail on the first night. “Even so zealous a hunter as General Zaroff could not trace him there, he told himself; only the devil himself could follow that complicated trail through the jungle after dark.”(Connell 35,36). Zaroff also underestimated Rainsford when Rainsford jumped off the cliff and again later that night when he challenged him. “The general made one of his deepest bows. “I see,” he said. “Splendid! One of us is to furnish a repast for the hounds. The other will sleep in this very excellent bed. On guard, Rainsford…”(Connell